What's It Like To Drive? | 2021 RAV4 Prime 

Just a few notes: Towing is rated at 2,500 lbs. Performance is 5.7 seconds 0-60 in hybrid mode whether you've plugged the car in or not. The only time that would drop is if the battery was actually discharged which is *extremely* hard to do, trust me, I tried. To discharge the battery totally you'd need to either drive it hard on a track or with a heavy trailer up a very long steep grade. Normal "sporty" driving won't do it because the system is always working to keep the battery at a level that will give you all 300+ HP.

This is super cool! Gets the Toyotajeff stamp of approval haha ... Jeff

I recently bought a 2016 Ford Fusion. Great Car! But i just watch Alex On Autos videos because they are simply the best on youtube! So great to watch.

AoA sets the bar for car reviews. Period.

Love to see Alex having fun with the RAV4! Your reviews are the best and I love when they're split into multiple parts or videos, it really helps me understand the vehicle. The RAV4 Prime is definitely on my top 5 list of cars after a Tesla Model S P100D and a Model 3.

Your multi-screen view while driving is top notch Alex, TY

A kind of Japan version of 60-s muscle car - a lot of power, no steering. But everyone loves it!

My dealership is doing a “raffle” where they essentially pick a name out of a hat and you get to buy the rav4 prime 💀💀

This thing is as fast as the old 300C I had back in 2006. That's amazing how times have changed where you have the performance of an old school V8 but the fuel economy of a hybrid for around the same MSRP. Fun times we're living in.

"on fumes of electrons." Brilliant!

Well done Alex! What an honor to be able to drive a 2021 RAV4 Prime.

A lot of guys are doing online auto reviews but Alex is the best!

Well, I learned a new favorite phrase today. "Go like the clappers" checks out

Great review! I love how technically detailed you are. Was kind of surprised how inefficient the hybrid system is on the battery considering how efficient the system is in hybrid mode. Edit: Looked into it, and they rate it at 90 MPGe (which is a bit lower than the Model X for reference) which probably means that big pack has a lot of reserve built in - even excluding the hybrid zone. Good for reliability for sure.

Great vid, thanks Alex! I love my RAV4 hybrid limited, but it really looks like the Prime is basically the perfect vehicle for me. Now, to get my hands on one...

Hello Alex This coming Saturday we are heading to our Toyota dealership to order our RAV4 prime. Can’t wait to get our hands on it. Greetings from Edmonton AB Love all your reviews Keep up with the great work

Excellent video Alex! I am a new subscribed and really respect and like your fact-based reports/reviews. The RAV4 Prime is the first Toyota I have ever been interested in, and thanks to fortune, looks like are getting one at MSRP. I have watched every one of your videos on this vehicle. Keep up your high quality work. BTW, I am a multiple decades professional car, person (owned over 50 total), and not giving up my C8 Corvette, but this would make a great, complimentary garage mate. Thanks Alex for being an A+.

Great review as always. Straight forward and to the point!

Excellent review and video production! Thank you!

You're work is so far away you deserve a sweet ride! This video tells me: just get something cheap because my commute is 6km

Great video as always. Thank you Alex

Alex, does the brake pedal make a loud click as you step on it? Another reviewer complained about this in the regular hybrid. Thanks for a great review.

Thanks Alex, was looking forward to this review. I feel like there is more to come, so I be looking for more testing of this from you. Well, that is if Toyota allow you to hold on to it for a few months.

Awesome review - unbelievably articulate.

Watching this again as I start to scour the country for a RAV4 Prime to buy! One question I had for you is what exactly is “go like the clappers?” LOL!! Great stuff!

Great driving review thanks Alex. Is it sad that as exciting as this is I am hoping this system finds it's way into the next generation Mazda CX-5? It may be likely with the Toyota-Mazda technology share agreements they have. Who wouldn't want this mated to a SKYACTIV-X Inline 6 in a new RWD based platform?

Great review Alex! This car is #1 on my list to replace our 2017 Honda CR-V in about a year for our son. I have two TESLAs at the moment (M3 and MY) and I just can't stand ICE only engines/CVTs/turbo lag anymore...I drove the new CR-V hybrid, but being able to drive in EV mode only is key for me with a commute of 20 miles to work. Can't really do it in almost any other hybrid. This would be ideal.

Thank you for the driving narration! I'm so excited for this car! Actually, I'm in Palo Alto-just up the road-and waiting cash-in-hand for one of these to be available nearby. From which dealership did you get yours? Thanks!

Alex-"If you simply want a comfortable family hauler that gets excellent fuel economy, a surprising amount of EV range (41-45 miles) and will go off the clappers when you want it to, then that is exactly what the RAV4 Prime is!". I agree with you 100%. Love my RAV4 PRIME!!!

great review. i seriously wish toyota decides to do the same with highlander.. i really like that plug-in feature

Toyota made a great plugin hybrid. I would be interested in Alex testing the Escape plugin in the similar fashion.

Alex , I found the fixes for your B- rating on handling . 245/50/18 GMAX tires and HARD RACE Anti-Sway bars. These two upgrades have made my RAV4 Prime an I-15 Virgin River Gorge loving machine. These two modifications are indeed the fixes to your not quite comment at the 5 minute Mark. Would love for you to do a follow up on your testing with an upgraded RAV4 Prime.

excellent review as always

Alex, This Prime seems to have slightly more power than it can handle. Maybe it is the true successor to the 3rd generation #V6 after all ;)

Hopefully Toyota/Lexus transitions all major models into Primes and then to full EVs. No matter how cool the Tesla’s are their QC is in the 70s. I have coworkers that have Model 3s and one who has the Y and basic things like panel gaps, paint, etc make me cringe. My friend’s new Model Y had a broken rear light, rear spoiler that was not attached on one side, paint was messed up, trim issues, and the rear folding seat didn’t line up correctly. He paid $70k.

Great video Alex. I have a question, as the batteries are under the RAV4, are they protected from water and rock damage?

Hi Alex, always love your informative reviews! I am wondering if the Rav4 Prime also have the faint ticking sounds like the Rav4 Hybrid when braking? I tried the Rav4 hybrid and that noise although isnt loud really drives me nuts as I also dont like turning on radios. Thanks!

Nice review. The tyre friction efficiency loss due to the windiness of the road would be another factor to consider. Not sure that your particular route with its elevation and windiness is the best place to test range.

Alex, I think it would be very easy for viewers to skip to certain sections they care about if you would time stamp them in the graphic. For example: Ride (7:00), Handling (7:38) etc.

Great review Alex - hopefully Toyota will revise the suspension / tire size to improve on-road handling.

Excellent review

I was looking forward to this review. very informative! What road were you on, Alex? 116, Hgy 12 to/from the coast?

My only complaint about the rav4 was power, now they fixed it. might be my next cuv.

Love this vehicle but would prefer the non plugin hybrid since I live in a condo. Going to wait for the mid cycle refresh

Do the back home part again, this time with 100% SoC, and report back how far did you go please.

I love your drive Alex.

Good review, thank you. I want to know about availability so if you have any updates on that please share.

Man, I usually really don't like Toyota's but this one I think they really nailed it in terms of what many people are looking for. I think this is a great choice for most families that have range anxiety with 100% all electric cars like Tesla.

I just realized how Alex can talk and drive without "uhm, ehm....or any unnecessary pause"🤣 Also, excellent video editing as usual. Now, can anyone tell why this RAV4 Prime doesn't come with a fog light? Both SE and XSE are the sporty trims in the Toyota world and always come standard with a fog light. Are they just being cheap as usual?

I wish you could do the 0 to 60 test when the batteries are not charged and car works as a regular hybrid. Because that one might be more realistic for some like me who goes on long distance trips. Thanks

In Europe we will receive a rebranded variant made for Suzuki with a nice grille but otherwise same design and identical specs. The price is a mystery for now. That goes along the Rav4 PHEV.

The RAV4 Prime seems to have some type of program to determine how much range you have based on your driving style. When I drive on the freeway or drive stepping on the brakes and gas all the time, I get 41 mile range on a full charge. When I drive 25 mph and gently stop and accelerate (not super slow to be annoying), I get 45 mile range.

Wow! The acceleration in EV mode is impressive. (10:29). :)

Great follow up to the original video! This is the next best thing (after the questionable looking Clarity PHEV, which we own) for someone who can't yet do full EV. AWD and heat pump are great features on this. I wish the 6.6kwh onboard charger was standard. On the Clarity, we have had a weird issue - in extreme cold weather if you start off on EV and you are doing highway speeds - let's say. your battery runs out, the engine has to kick on to keep the car going at 60 or 70 whatever - if it has not warmed up, the car loses speed for a few very hair seconds (goes down to maybe 35) and then catches up. You could get killed in the process. Honda refuses to acknowledge the issue, but there are a few instances reported in the forums. We have tried replicating the issue with a dealer unsuccessfully. Do you know what type of. cold weather behavior has been programmed into this Prime? I.e., at temps in single digits and below, does the gas engine automatically come on?

As your video stated in regards to ev mode only accelerating upto 84 mph on gentle acceleration... i find this car intriguing to me

Okay, Alex... you got me. Hopefully, Toyota starts cranking out these RAV4 Prime like hot cakes so we call can fork out our $40k plus change to get into one of these. Great review!

I called my Toyota dealer's sales dept to ask when they are going to have this one on sale and if there's a way to pre-order. Hilariously, the guy took his sweet time to understand that I was talking about Rav4 "Prime"! He was first telling me everything about rav4 hybrid. when I stressed on "Prime", he started telling me about the Prius prime .... it was a crazy conversation 🤣

Does the Prime have the same gas tank design flaw as the the regular hybrid?

For me personally i have 3 and a bit years to retirement age when i will have the cash to buy something like this, but by then the Rav4 will be totally different from what's on offer now, so look forward to checking back in 3 years time :)

Very informative video. I believe your sound levels were given running on the battery pack. What are sound decibels when the car is running on the gasoline engine only?

Toyota, please make Sienna and Highlander prime and send them with RAV4 to Europe.

Great report. What type of tiers was installed on the car in the test?

Hi Alex, Is the steering effort the same when compared to your blue Rav4 hybrid? The lighter steering effort on the Rav4 hybrid, especially around town, is better for me. Thank you!

Toyota announced yesterday there are only 5000 units coming to the US in 2020. Disappointing to hear about the torque steer issues and diminished handling capabilities.

Will the RAV4 Prime get other interior color choices in the future? Would love a white exterior with nutmeg interior color combination. Also, are there any specific operating protocols in place to protect the gasoline engine in extremely cold weather?

I wish Toyota would put SUV back into the RAV4. My 2007, with V-6 , 3500 Pound Towing capability, Swing rear door with storage, Spare tire , Great stereo, 4 wheel drive, and was a joy to drive. It’s what many of us considered our perfect vehicle. It was horrible when they stopped that style with beautiful lines and structure . Those of us that live in the woods need a vehicle with those options and not the vehicle here, that has a darth Vader front end face. What part is the bumper?

It's a shame this Rav is already spoken for on the order books. Its definitely wanted.

Will the 2022 RAV4 Prime be refreshed since it’s time for this gen of RAV4 to have a mid generation refresh.

I was excited about this car considering it for a family member. The first turn off was the price. The second turnoff is that Toyota is planning on very limited production of this model. Looks like they are afraid that people will like it too much. 3rd turn off is that they just suspended already orders on it. This way it leaves a lot of space for dealerships to price gauge and makes it very difficult and unaffordable to get one!

I’m confused by the conflicting 0-60 times stated. Alex says 5.7 seconds “with the engine off.” The sidebar text reads 8.8 seconds in EV mode. Also, what is the qualitative feel of the regen braking and how it is controlled by the steering wheel paddles? Would like to compare it to my Volt with drivetrain in “L” in EV mode.

Just to give some more perspective on what to expect for handling, but this version weighs 800 lbs more than the regular Rav4. That's 800 LBS! Imagine how your car / suv handles with 5 more people in it. That's the extra weight that this car has. I wonder how the suspension is going to last in the long run.

Is this the first ever video/music montage for Alex on Autos? Sure seems like it. 👍

how does cold weather affect the hybrid performance? do the batteries always stay on to keep themselves warm or cool themselves in the summer heat?

I plan on adding a stiffer rear roll bar and front strut bar to help the handling along with 245mm wide tires on 18" or 19" wheels that are lighter and wider as well. With a more performance rated Summer tire and keeping the stock wheels for dedicated snow tires I think it will improve the handling & braking quite a bit. If that isn't enough then I'll look at some adjustable coilovers and lower the car about 1.5" for the Summer and move it back to normal ride height for the coldest 4 months of the year. The alignment specs you use should also have a significant impact and I plan on dialing more negative camber and more front toe out to improve turn in behavior. I really like the powertrain setup otherwise so having to improve the suspension a bit isn't a huge problem in my mind to give it that sportier feel.

Alex do you intend on changing out the RAV4 Hybrid to a 2021 RAV4 PRIME for a Long Term Review?

Great video's Alex and I've used them to put a deposit on this car so thank you for putting them here. Question for you though. With the Prime, say I go and deplete the electric range through EV driving and the gas engine has to run. Despite having no EV range, do we still have the full performance of ~300HP and hybrid functionality with ~39MPG?

Can you compare the Toyota Rav Prime to the Ford Explorer Hybrid. Thank you for your video. I enjoy watching it. Roger

Excellent

i would like to buy one when they become available, in about 3 years or so.

Should I buy super stickier tires?

Alex for president.

I do really want to be able to tow about 2,000 with this. Do you think it will be good as a tow vehicle (regardless of what the specs say). If I could just also put a 4x8 sheet width-wise like the Explorer (which costs too much and is not getting very good reviews).

Nice Vid, does the latest Rav 4 have auto folding mirrors?

What is the Toyota Rav4 Prime instant torque in EV only mode with all electric motors engaged?

to me hybrid SUVs are where hybrid tech really makes the most sense. They were never fun to drive to begin with and now they get excellent mpg. We bought a 2020 cx5. I really wish we hadn't and got one of the hybrid versions of the rav or crv instead

Sadly it will be a long time before they are available in WNC or all of NC. States that do not have favorable zero emissions policies and credits simply wont be allotted any vehicles from the already meager supply. I spoke to my local dealer and they don't expect to actually have any to sell until summer 2021 (at best). Too bad they put out the full marketing blitz for what is basically vaporware.

Would it be possible to install 245width tires aftermarket?

So which hybrid Crossover would you get Alex, RAV4 Hybrid, CRV Hybrid, or RAV4 Prime?

Therefore, it needs a better suspension to manage the weight and better and wider tires

Toyota dealers in California are selling it 5k-7k over MSRP..Is it worth paying so much?

How is the fuel efficiency, in Hybrid mode, with full charges battery on max range?

Finally it is here, but sad to see the disappointment.

The Rav4 V6 is back....sort of 😁

Was really hoping to snag this in 2020 to take full advantage of that federal credit. Looking like losing 2k in 2021. I asked my local Toyota where I'm number 2 on the list if I could even sign the purchase and start paying in December but got the NO 😭😭😭

Why is this car not available in XLE or Limited ? Is it to protect the CV joints ?

2 questions: - I am surprised at the 135 feet long stopping distance. Does this car have more than one regen setting? If so, what if you put it in the most aggressive regen setting? - The 2.5L 4 cylinder engine on an Atkinson cycle (for fuel efficiency) . Is the Atkinson cycle permanent or can it be switch to a normal cycle either manually or automatically when I want more power? Great 5 videos. Watched each one twice. Thanks in advance.

The best car you won't actually be able to buy. I also suspect dealer mark-ups will kill the deal anyhow.

This can be started in electric mode only with the heat on? The 2013 Prius Plug-in I had- the engine had to run for a min or two (when the heat was on) then would go to electric only (up to 60 mph if I remember correctly). If the heat was off, then it would run electric only right away.

I know this is apples & oranges........ BUT I love my Prius Prime, do you think I'll love the Rav4 prime as much or more? I'm betting dealers are going to be selling above MSRP due to the shortage....what do you think ??

I still don't get how far you can go on a fully charged battery? 42 or 35 miles? What do you mean by "range?" I live near Raleigh, North Carolina, not hilly, somewhat flat area, no mountains, how far can I go on a fully charged battery averaging 60 mph? I also drive more on the side road than highways, which should be better on the battery, I think. We are so used to MPG, so what would be the EV's equivalent to MPG?